Textile fabric having spaced portions bearing wear resistant resin dots and method and apparatus for producing same



y 1959 G. T. GORE I 2,893,314

- TEXTILE'FABRIC HAVING SPACED PORTIONS BEARING WEAR RESISTANT RESIN DOTS AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SAME Filed Sept. 24. 1957 Fig 18 INVEN TOR. GRA YES T GORE 4 TTOR/YEYS United States Patent TEXTILE FABRIC HAVING SPACED PORTIONS BEARING WEAR RESISTANT RESIN DOTS AND lSVIETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AME Graves T. Gore, Trion, Ga., assignor to Riegel Textile Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application September 24, 1957, Serial No. 685,966

7 Claims. 01. 101-118) This invention relates to the production of special purpose textile fabrics, and more particularly to apparatus for producing a textile fabric having spaced portions thereof rendered wear resistant.

Copending application Serial No. 760,682, filed September 12, 1958, discloses a method and means for producing a textile fabric having exceptional wear resistance. According to the disclosure of this copending application spaced knobs of a heat hardenable, thixotropic, thermoplastic composition suited to render the textile fabric wear resistant may be applied to the fabric by doctoring the plastic composition into the apertures of an applicator screen and then presenting the fabric in web form at the screen to pick up the doctored plastic composition there-' from, after which the web may be trained past heating means to subject the spaced knobs of plastic material to hardening heat. The resulting textile fabric is characterized by a pattern of spaced dots or knobs at one surface thereof which impart an exceptional wear resistance thereto as noted above. In some instances it is desirable to render only spaced portions of afabric wear resistant in this manner for use in forming particular fabric structures in which only a part of the structure needs wear resistance, such as a cotton pick sack in which only the drag surface needs to be especially wear resistant.

According to the present invention apparatus is provided by which a fabric may be handled to render it wear resistant in the manner disclosed by the above noted copending application, while at the same time limiting the Wear resistance to fabric portions spaced lengthwise of the web being handled. I

Briefly described, the apparatus of the present invention is characterized by an applicator screen having a circumference greater than the lengthwise web dimension desired for the spaced fabric portions to be rendered wear resistant and having at least a substantial part of the excess circumferential area of the applicator screen formed im perforate, with a pressure roll normally running in contact with the applicator screen for presenting the fabric web thereat to pick up the plastic composition therefrom, but remaining displaceable so that'the fabric web may be released for travel freely past the applicator screen at the lengths thereof that are not to be rendered wear resistant. By this arrangement, a fabric web can be handled to arrange wear resistant portions thereon in accordance with any spaced pattern desired so as to allow the web subsequently to be cut to length for use directly in forming a particular fabric structure, such as the cotton pick sack mentioned above, without requiring a special wear resistant portion to be pieced separately therein.

These and other features of the present invention are described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front side elevation detail illustrating the arrangement of apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig.2 is a left end elevation corresponding to Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail taken substantially'at the line 33 in Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the embodiment of the present invention illustrated comprises an applicator means by which apparatus of the type disclosed in the above noted copending application Serial No. 7 60,682, may be arranged for applying a plastic composition to lengthwise spaced portions of a fabric web W as described generally above.

The applicator means shown in the drawings incoIporates a cylindrical applicator screen 10 comparable in general arrangement and function with the screen roll of the apparatus disclosed in the above identified copending application, but having a substantially increased circumferential size, the circumference of the applicator screen 10 being greater than the lengthwise dimension of the spaced portions of the web W at which the plastic composition is to be applied and the excess circumferential area, or at least a substantial part thereof, being imper forate as indicated at 12.

The plastic composition to be applied to the web W by the screen roll 10 is supplied interiorly thereof through a perforated pipe 14 for damming at doctoring means 16 disposed in contact with the interior surface of the screen roll 10 to doctor the plastic composition into the screen apertures as the roll 10 is rotated, all in the same manner as described more fully in the above identified copending application.

The screen roll 10 is supported for rotation on end hoops 18 arranged to seat and ride on support rolls 20 and to carry sprocket rings '22 for engagement by sprocket chains 24 running thereto from a countershaft 26 on which an electric clutch unit 28 is provided to receive the drive therefor through a sprocket chain connection 30 from any suitable power source (not shown).

The fabric web W is trained for delivery to the screen roll 10 by suitable guide rolls or bars as indicated at 32 so that it wraps over a substantial arcuate surface area in advance of the point of doctoring and passes beneath the roll 10 (see Fig. 2). In order to grip the web W and cause it to follow the rotating motion of the screen roll 10 in passing or traveling therebeneath, a pressure roll 34 is.

scribed in the above identified copending application, but

the pressure roll 34 is specially arranged according to the present invention in that it is displaceably mounted under a bias normally maintaining it pressed against the screen roll 10 while allowing separating displacement thereof.

For such displacement, the pressure roll 34 is carried on pivot arms 36 with springs 38 arranged to act at the extending ends thereof for exerting the above noted pressure roll bias, the nip pressure being regulated by adjustable stop members 40 disposed for abutment with the pivot arms 36 in opposition to the bias springs 38.

Actual displacement of the pressure roll 34 during operation of the apparatus of the present invention is effected from cam blocks 42 carried on the screen roll end hoops 18 in relation to the imperforate screen portion 12 as indicated in Fig. 2. The cam blocks 42 act on follower arms 44 that are pivotally mounted intermediate the length of the pressure roll pivot arms 36 and that are normally held upright by pivoted bracing arms 46, so as to extend in the path of the cam blocks 42 and result in displacement of the pressure roll 34 to the full line A pivot arms 36 so that the extending ends thereof are disposed in bracing relation at the follower arms 44 just above the level of the pivot axis for arms 46 and the bracing pressure accordinglymaintains them positioned at the stoptelement 48.

The pressure roll pivot arms 36 also carry a solenoid;

unit 50 linked as indicated at 52 with the bracing arms 46 for pivoting the extending ends thereof downwardly so as to displace them from their normal bracing relation and allow the'follower arms 44 to collapse (to the left as seen in Fig. 2) and thereby release the displaced pivot arms 36 to reestablish the nip contact of pressure roll 34 with screen roll under the bias of coil springs 38, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Collapsing of the follower arms 44 in this manner is facilitated by arranging the pivot axis therefor on pivot arms 36 out of vertical alignment with the point at which their upper ends make contact with cam blocks 42, and the follower arms 44 are further formed with a weighting leg portion 44 serving to balance them for return to upright position when the cam blocks 42 move out of the way as soon as the screen roll '10 commences to rotate again.

Actuation of the solenoid unit 50 for pivoting the brac ing arms 46 as noted above is accomplished from an endless timing belt structure 54 arranged on pulleys 56 and 56, one of which (56) is geared to be driven from a timing roll 58 having a wire fillet covering 60 thereon and running in contact with the fabric web W so as to be engaged thereby and rotated in timed relation with the travel of the web W. The consequent similarly timed travel of the timing belt 54 operates, through spaced lugs 54' carried thereon, a normally open switch 62 connected in series with the solenoid unit 50 across an electrical circuit 64 running to the previously mentioned electric clutch 28 arranged on the countershaft 26 from which the screen roll 10 is driven. The circuit 64 also includes a normally closed switch 66 connected in series with the electric clutch 28 and disposed for actuation by the pressure roll pivot arms 36 upon displacement thereof.

By this arrangement, displacement of the pressure roll pivot arms 36 by the screen roll cam blocks 42 results in opening the normally closed clutch switch 66 so as to disconnect the electric clutch 28 and thereby stop the rota tion of screen roll 10. The cam blocks 42 may, if de sired, be formed at their trailing ends with a rise proportioned in relation to the upper ends of follower arms 44 in the nature of an abutment stop so as to prevent overrunning of screen roll 10 and determine a regular stopping position therefor. As the screen roll cam blocks 42 are disposed at the leading end of the imperforate screen roll portion 12, the result is to stop the screen roll 10 with the doctoring means 16 therein disposed at this imperforate portion 12 for containing the plastic composition supply therein against possible leakage. With the screen roll 10 stopped in this manner, and the pressure roll 34 displaced, the Web W will be freed thereat for travel past the imperforate screen roll portion 12 without the application of any plastic composition thereto, the web W being caused to travel during this period by means provided for handling and discharging it at the delivery end of the apparatus as shown and described in the above identified copending application. The timing roll 58,

which continues to rotate through engagement with the" web W during this period, then causes the timing belt 54 to time the duration of the period in accordance with the length of the web W that is desired to pass the screen roll 10 without treating. In this connection, it should be noted that the timing belt structure 54 is preferably made extensible according to the present invention, as by employing spring loops therefor such as are illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and the pulley 56 is arranged for adjustment to regulate the endless length of the belt structure'54 and thereby selectively set the spacing between the lug elements 54 carried thereon in correspondence with the desired untreated length of web W.

When the desired untreated length of the web W has 4 passed, the belt structure 54 will act, through the active lug 54' thereon, to close the normally open solenoid switch 62 and thereby actuate the solenoid unit 50 to collapse the follower arms 44 and release the pressure roll 34 to return again into contact with the screen roll 10. At the same time, the clutch switch 66 will be released to its normal closed position for reconnecting the electric clutch 28 to start the screen roll 10 rotating again for application of plastic composition to a succeeding portion of the web W. This application of the plastic composition will continue through a cycle of the screen roll 10 until the cam blocks 42 thereon again cause displacement of the pressure roll 34 to repeat the above noted release of the web W thereat. The result is to cause application of plastic composition to the web W at regularly spaced lengthwise portions thereof arranged as to length and spacing as desired in a particularly effective manner with apparatus that would otherwise be normally employed for continuous application of the plastic material.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for producing a textile fabric having spaced portions thereof rendered wear resistant comprising a cylindrical applicator screen, means for rotating said screen about the cylindrical axis thereof, means for training said fabric in web form and causing said web to travel beneath said screen, said screen having a circumference greater than the dimension lengthwise of said web desired for the spaced fabric portions to be rendered wear resistant and having at least a substantial part of the excess circumferential area thereof formed imperforate, means for supplying interiorly of said screen for surface application to said web a thixotropic thermoplastic composition suited for rendering said spaced fabric portions wear resistant and having a relatively high viscosity by which said thermoplastic composition is prevented from flowing readily through the apertures in said screen, means for doctoring said plastic com position into the apertures of said screen, a pressure roll arranged for disposition in opposed relation to said screen substantially at the point of doctoring and displaceably mounted under a bias normally maintaining it pressed against said screen, means carried by said screen for displacing said pressure roll from contact therewith at said imperforate circumferential area and for thereupon stopping the rotation of said screen, means for releasing said displaced pressure roll to its normal position and for restarting the rotation of said screen when the next spaced portion of said web to be rendered wear resistant is reached, and means driven by the travel of said web for controlling the functioning of said last named means.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said pressure roll displacing means carried by said screen comprises a cam block disposed for displacing said pressure roll when presented thereat by the rotation of said screen, said cam block further being formed for holding said pressure roll displaced upon stopping of said screen rotation.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that the means for rotating said screen includes an electric clutch coupling having an energizing circuit in which a normally closed switch is connected that is disposed to be opened by the displacing movement of said pressure roll and thereby effect stopping of said screen roll upon said pressure roll displacement.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 and further characterized in that said energizing circuit alsoincludes a parallelly connected normally open switch, and said means driven by the travel of said web for releasing said 1 displaced pressure roll is arranged to close said switch for energizing said release.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that the means driven by travel of said web for releasing said displaced pressure roll comprises a roll member having a wire fillet covering fixed thereon, and disposed at the surface of said web opposite the one on which said plastic composition is picked up, for engagement of said fillet covering by said web to cause rotation of said roll member from the travel of said web.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 and further characterized in that said means driven by travel of said web for releasing said displaced pressure roll also includes an endless timing belt structure carrying spaced lug elements thereon for actuating said pressure roll release, said belt structure being extensible and being mounted to run on pulleys one of which is driven by said wire fillet covered roll member and another of which is shiftably mounted for adjustment to regulate the endless length of said belt structure and thereby selectively set the spacing between said lug elements in correspondence to a given length of said traveling web.

7. Apparatus of the character described comprising a cylindrical applicator screen, means for rotating said screen about the cylindrical axis thereof, means for training a fabric in web form and causing said web to travel beneath said screen, said screen having a substantial part of the circumferential area thereof formed imperforate, means 'for supplying interiorly of said screen for surface application to said web a plastic composition, means for doctoring said plastic composition into the apertures of said screen, a pressure roll arranged for disposition in opposed relation to said screen substantially at the point of doctoring and displaceably mounted under a bias normally maintaining it pressed against said screen, means carried by said screen for displacing said pressure roll from contact therewith at said imperforate circumferential area and for thereupon stopping the rotation of said screen, means for releasing said displaced pressure roll to its normal position and for restarting the rotation of said screen, and means driven by the travel of said web for controlling the functioning of said last named means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,983 Fortin Mar. 25, 1913 1,480,348 Cadgene Ian. 8, 1924 1,495,146 Ariente May 27, 1924 1,541,806 Flick June 16, 1925 2,312,626 Chamberlain et al. Mar. 2, 1943 2,321,057 Weiss June 8, 1943 2,545,952 Goldman Mar. 20, 1951 2,698,574 Daugherty Jan. 4, 1955 

